Taped bags and machinery using such bags are generally well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,843 discloses a chain of imbricated bags connected and supported by two strands of tape; U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,547 discloses a packaging apparatus having imbricated bags connected by two strands of tape which are attached to a rotatable spool; U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,038 discloses a taped bag dispenser having a wind-up surface; U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,412 discloses a taped bag feeder having the take-up reels housed within a cassette; and British Patent Application GB 2 064 477 A discloses taped bag dispenser with a drive means for imparting rotational motion to take-up reels.
Typically taped bags are made from various thermoplastic materials. Common thermoplastic materials known in the art include polyethylenes, polyesters, ethylene vinyl alcohols (EVOH), and other polymers known in the art which may be configured alone or in combination depending on the desired properties of the packaging material. Taped bags are supplied in a folded or rolled arrangement with the leading end, typically the open end of the bag, configured in an imbricated, or shingled, arrangement with the leading edge of a subsequent bag offset behind the leading edge of a previous bag. Typically, a pair of tapes is provided to advance the bags into machinery that inserts product into the bag. Taped bag packaging equipment is commonly used in food packaging applications, particularly meat packing.
Taped bag feeders are used throughout meat packaging plants to aid in loading products efficiently into an opened bag. These taped bag feeders utilize bags that are shingled on evenly spaced tape. By using the tape as an advancing mechanism, the taped bag feeder, by use of a drive unit, can ensure an opened bag is always ready for an operator or machine to place product into. The drive mechanism on the taped bag feeder is coupled to take-up reels to draw the bags forward. The tapes are removably attached to the bags by adhesive or other means. When product has been inserted into a bag, the bag is peeled away from the tapes and moved to the next stage in the packaging operation.
Most packing plants are very cramped and do not leave very much space for workers and thoroughfares. One major problem with current taped bag feeders in the industry is that the take-up reels are aligned concentrically with the output shafts of the drive. This means that there is a take-up reel on each side of the taped bag feeder. Since many of these taped bag feeders are part of full production lines, it is hard to access the non-operator side reel. This costs valuable production time as workers need to walk around to the nearest opening or stoop below low conveyors to access the non-operator side reel. In a typical packaging operation, taped bags must be reloaded into the machine at periodic intervals, commonly every 30-45 minutes at a minimum. Therefore, an operator must access the take-up reel on the non-operator side of the machine to empty the accumulated tape and to feed the new tape for the next batch of bags. Production time is consumed in accessing the rear reel.
Another reason for the present invention is that some automated pieces of equipment are beginning to use taped bag feeders integrated into the machines. Due to the design of these complete packaging systems, access to the back-side is limited or fully guarded. Mounting the taped bag feeder on carriage rails is one option, but this adds much cost to the overall equipment. Additionally, the use of carriage rails is not a desirable option because of housekeeping and sanitation concerns, especially in food packaging applications. Carriage rails provide surfaces for the accumulation of dust, dirt, food scraps, or other contaminants, and require labor intensive cleaning. This adds much expense and requires workers to remove the whole tape bag feeder from the machine every time access is required at the back-side reel. Therefore, it is desirable for an easier way to allow workers to access the take-up reels without hindering production up-time.
Additionally, the current method of changing and or splicing tape on the non-operator side take-up reel of standard taped bag feeders was not very effective. Operators often have to crawl under very low conveyors or walk to a catwalk in order to reach the opposing tape reel located on the opposite side of the line. This can cause back strain as well as cross contaminate production areas as an operator may come in contact with the floor or peripheral area. Operator safety, coupled with additional machine down-time is why the present invention is desired.